On 10/03/2012 08:34 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:

Regardless of what brand of paint I use, I always use the same method
for cleaning - assuming it's a soap and water clean-up.

It starts with warm water and Dawn dish soap.

Actually I should say it starts with a decent brush. I been a fan of
the Purdy line of brushes available from the Home Depot. Most of the
ones I've been using for years have the original cardboard sleeve. It
is recommended that the brushes be stored in the original cardboard
sleeve so that the shape is held constant as they dry. I built a "nail
board" in my shop and the brushes are wrapped and hung immediately
after washing. OK, immediately after being shake-dried.

I have a 4' length of garden hose with a spray nozzle that I keep by
my utility sink. It's great for washing coolers, buckets, dogs and
yes, paint brushes. I blast them with the spray nozzle set on jet to
get the paint out from deep within the bristles. If blasting doesn't
get it all out because some of it has dried, I rest the bristles on
the center divider of the sink and scrub them with a nail brush. I'll
even use my fingernails to scrap paint off of the bristles on the
outside of the brush if need be. You have to have a quality brush if
you expect it to stand up to this kind of abuse without the bristles
falling out or getting all bent out of shape.

Once I am satisfied that the brush is clean, I give it few sharp
shakes to get most of the water out, reshape the bristles by hand,
wrap it up in it's cardboard sleeve and hang it on it's nail. Other
than the handle, I have some brushes that you would think are brand
new if judged solely by the bristles.

I know my time consuming method works because I've seen the condition
of the same brand of brushes when my wife or son borrows one and then
"cleans" it. I've thrown away brushes, or saved them for junk jobs,
after they've ruined them by cleaning them improperly.

On the rare occasions when a brush I've cleaned is a little stiff when
I open the cardboard, it only because the bristles are slightly stuck
together and a simple flexing of the bristles softens them up.

Yep, that's the exact same method I use as well, except I like to use
warm water for the cleanup. Been using the same latex brush for over a
decade now (a Purdy*, of course), and aside from paint splatters on the
handle it still performs like new.

*While it is a Purdy, it was one of their "seconds" that the local paint
store sold at a sizeable discount. I'll be damned if I can find
anything wrong with it, though.

Jon